CLEMSON – Kelly Bryant always has had the inclination to “tuck it and run” when the football finds his hands, and he’ll be the first to tell you as much.

“Growing up and going through middle school and rec ball and my early high school years, pretty much all I knew was the Wing T and the run-option,” Bryant said. “It was just so natural to me using my legs and having to make plays with my legs.”

Although Bryant has flashed his ability to make plays with his arm since being named Clemson’s starting quarterback this season, he still is most dangerous when using bipedal locomotion to get from Point A to Point B.

The junior from Calhoun Falls has carried the ball 85 times – one fewer attempt than he has pass completions – through the Tigers’ first five games.

With the unbeaten (5-0) and No. 2-ranked Tigers facing a Wake Forest defense on Saturday that leads the nation in tackles for loss, the expectation is that Bryant may be on the run again.

The good news: Bryant certainly has made the most of his rushing attempts, resulting in a team-high 362 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant (2) is brought down by the Virginia Tech defense during the 3rd quarter on Saturday, September 30, 2017 at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA.(Photo: BART BOATWRIGHT?Staff)

But is he running the ball too much?

“It’s a balancing act,” co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Tony Elliott said. “But we know what he gives to our offense when we pick up that extra hat and let him run the football.”

Bryant’s running ability has never been in question. His first career touchdown came on a 59-yard run against Miami in his freshman year, and he has continued to show similar explosiveness now that he’s the Tigers’ starting quarterback.

Bryant had 106 yards rushing two weeks ago in a win against Boston College, then posted a 94-yard rushing performance in last Saturday’s 31-17 win at Virginia Tech.

At 72.4 yards per game, he’s on pace for 869 yards over a 12-game regular season and could become just the third quarterback in Clemson history to lead the team in rushing after Don King (1953) and Woodrow Dantzler (2000 and 2001).

“For him, you can’t take away what makes him special,” Elliott said. “And his legs give us an element that we haven’t had in the past, even with Deshaun (Watson).”

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson certainly has recognized as much.

“Kelly Bryant is playing at a really high level,” Clawson said. “A lot of the Clemson offense is designed that the quarterback has to run the football. I felt last year, with Watson, they were only going to run him when they had to. Now they want to run Bryant and he’s a really good back.”

The primary concern for the remainder of the season will be keeping Bryant injury-free.

Dantzler, the best running quarterback ever at Clemson and a frequent advice-giver to Bryant, says Bryant has learned a lot in that regard.

“You can get tackled without really getting hit,” Dantzler said. “I never sustained an injury and I think I only got hit hard once in my career. I’ve been tackled a lot, but never been hit. It may look like a big hit, but it’s not – it’s all about turning your body sideways, and Kelly is learning that.”

Elliott has seen definitive improvement in that regard, which has in turn helped put his mind at ease.

“He’s your quarterback and you don’t want him to take unnecessary shots,” Elliott said. “He’s doing a good job of not letting anybody get a clean hit on him. He understands when he needs to slide, when he needs to get down.

“As co-offensive coordinators, Jeff (Scott) and I have to decide when to say, ‘OK, no more designed runs.’ We have to make sure that we protect him, too.”